Friday, April 8, 2005
Video Game Beta Testing Experiences
In the gaming industry beta testing is a process whereby a video game developer calls on a group of people to help stress test or bug test a near finished product. Often times beta testers are chosen from online forums or applications that are provided to select individuals.
Over the past few years (2000-2005) a lot has changed in the world of beta testing. It used to be harder to find out about beta tests. In recent years FilePlanet has helped companies expand the use of beta testing from simply a stress and bug testing tool to a promotional element for upcoming titles. FilePlanet offers it's paying members the opportunity to sign up for high profile beta tests like World of Warcraft or Everquest II through programs it arranges with developers. These days many games will even offer a beta tester account to anyone who pre-orders the game in store! The idea is that if you are willing to "invest" in the final product by pre-ordering it then by being a beta tester you will have some impact on how the game is actually being developed. The truth is that beta tests done in this manor are very large in scale and the tester is more like a number and less like an individual contributor. You add value by simply playing. Your character adds weight on the server which creates lag and helps the game designers polish how the game runs, not the game itself.
The picture below is of a final phase beta test for the PS2 version of Everquest, "Everquest Online Adventures." Being that this was a final phase test it was focused primarily on stress testing the servers and not tweaking the actual game. Sony offers some general guidelines on the blue sheet stating that "We want to take a few minutes to discuss beta testing in general. Being part of the beta test is a huge responsibility. Our development team is extremely busy finishing up the game and pulling it all together, and we will need all the help we can get tracking down bugs, testing various aspects of the game, and listening to suggestions from our testers on how to make the game better."
In another beta test for Sony Online Entertainment's Star Wars Galaxies, a member of the beta testing community died in a car accident. Everyone in the community felt so close to the member that an in game memorial was created! This was an amazing interaction between our community and the game developers. Everyone was touched and Sony and Lucas Arts really made an impact on all of us. To make things even better, at the end of the test SOE put out a press release for all the beta testers on the Star Wars Galaxies website thanking each SWG beta tester and listing the name of every single individual involved. You can use the find command and search for pocket to view my name.
Some beta testers specialize in catching bugs, some spend their time focused on the graphics or the gameplay, many beta testers are just there to have a good time. Whichever category you fall into, I highly recommend signing up for the next beta that catches your eye. Be sure to stop by FilePlanet as I mentioned earlier and discover how companies are changing their marketing strategies to focus on interactions instead of one way broadcasting of promotions.
Some beta testers specialize in catching bugs, some spend their time focused on the graphics or the gameplay, many beta testers are just there to have a good time. Whichever category you fall into, I highly recommend signing up for the next beta that catches your eye. Be sure to stop by FilePlanet as I mentioned earlier and discover how companies are changing their marketing strategies to focus on interactions instead of one way broadcasting of promotions.
posted by Court @ 5:16 PM
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